Fringe and Fortune: The Role of Critics in High and Popular ArtWhy does the distinction between high and popular art persist in spite of postmodernist predictions that it should vanish? Departing from the conventional view that such distinctions are class-related, Wesley Shrum concentrates instead on the way individuals form opinions about culture through the mediation of critics. He shows that it is the extent to which critics shape the reception of an art form that determines its place in the cultural hierarchy. Those who patronize "lowbrow" art--stand-up comedy, cabaret, movies, and popular music--do not heed critical opinions nearly as much as do those who patronize "highbrow" art--theater, opera, and classical music. Thus the role of critics is crucial to understanding the nature of cultural hierarchy and its persistence. Shrum supports his argument through an inquiry into the performing arts, focusing on the Edinburgh Fringe, the world's largest and most diverse art festival. |
From inside the book
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... CHAPTER ONE Cultural Mediation and the Status Bargain 25 CHAPTER TWO Critics in the Performing Arts 42 PART TWO : THE FRINGE 61 CHAPTER THREE Development of the Festival Fringe 63 CHAPTER FOUR Festivals and the Modern Fringe 83 CHAPTER ...
The Role of Critics in High and Popular Art Wesley Monroe Shrum Jr. CHAPTER TEN Discourse and Hierarchy 193 EPILOGUE 213 APPENDIX A Review Genres 215 APPENDIX B Methodological Note 218 APPENDIX C Note on the Study of Mediation and ...
... addition to the evidence in Chapter 9. Others who deserve particular thanks for helping scrape together bits and pieces of the larger puzzle are Jodie Rabelais , Dorothy Armstrong , Dawn Deshazo , Janet Elrod , Mari Haget PREFACE XV.
... Chapter 10 , which summarizes the empirical findings as well . For those who are fascinated , as I am , with the ... Chapters 2 and 5. Spectators are examined primarily in Chapters 2 , 6 , and 9 , while much of the information on ...
... Chapter 5 and again in Chapter 9. The idea that hidden or unrecognized quality can be found amid the plethora of offerings is significant for critics , artists , and spectators . Spectators and critics comb through a program of over one ...
Contents
10 | |
CHAPTER | 25 |
CHAPTER | 42 |
CHAPTER THREE | 63 |
TABLES | 69 |
CHAPTER FOUR | 83 |
Assembly Rooms | 85 |
CHAPTER FIVE | 109 |
CHAPTER SEVEN | 144 |
CHAPTER EIGHT | 165 |
CHAPTER NINE | 181 |
CHAPTER | 193 |
EPILOGUE | 213 |
NOTES | 229 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 265 |
CHAPTER | 125 |